Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has awarded $170 million in contracts to develop housing and infrastructure for low-income nationals in remote areas.
Official statistics indicate that 12% of the country’s 1.35 million working Omanis earn the minimum wage. In 2022, the government raised this threshold from $815 to $1,000 per month. Many minimum-wage earners reside in smaller towns across regions such as Dakhiliyah, Batinah, and Sharqiyah.
The housing project will be implemented in three phases: the first phase, beginning in April, will see the construction of 1,300 homes, followed by 1,700 in the second phase and 2,000 in the third. In addition to housing, the project includes roads, schools, and hospitals to enhance infrastructure in these communities.
Funding will be provided by the Department of Social Protection, which was allocated $1.7 billion last year to support minimum-wage earners, orphans, people with disabilities, unemployed divorced women, and widows.
(Source: Arabian Gulf Business Insight)
